Not a Mini Project 81' Westfalia Conversion

[SoCalMiniFan]

About 2 years ago my wife and I picked up a very pretty '81 Volkswagen Westfalia Vanagon.  Mechanically it was stock, air-cooled, and slow as molasses on a hot summers day.  The body had recently gone through a decent restoration.  Paint is nice, body work is okay, could be better but it's pretty good for an amateur barn job.

My plan has always been to put a Subaru EJ22 Boxer style engine into it and I was majorly looking forward to this project and completing it with my best friend/next door neighbor Rick.  Shortly after getting the van the wife and I got married, moved 800 miles away from my best friend, stored the van for a bit while we bought a house and my engine conversion project was put on major hold.

Fast-forward to 2018.  Wife and I made the executive decision to move forward with the Westy conversion project sooner then later so I reached out for some help.  We've skipped a master-bath remodel for the time being in-order to fund this project and our end goal is to take the wife's grandmother on an epic road-trip next summer since she doesn't fly and has never been West of Pennsylvania.

Bruce the Westy was just shipped out for some help but not before I re-did all the shocks, springs, and a big brake conversion, I'll finish off all the suspension bushings and improve the sway-bars when Bruce gets back to me at the end of the month.  I lifted the van 2" and moved from 14" wheels to 16" wheels with BFG off-road/AT tires.

When Bruce the Westy comes back he will be sporting a California SMOG legal fully rebuilt Subaru Engine.  I researched the crap out of this build and ultimately decided on having what they call a "Frankenmotor" built up.  It will have all OBDI credentials to satisfy CA SMOG but will be a 2.5 short-block paired up with 2.2 heads.  It will bring the HP up to 170 while keeping compression around 10.8:1.  I could have paired it right up to the stock transmission but that's no fun so I shipped that out to have it rebuilt and the 3rd and 4th adjusted to keep my RPM's closer to the 3100-3200 range at 65-70mph. Without that adjustment we'd be cruising at almost 4200rpm's at 65-70 and that just didn't seem comfortable. My torque range will be nice and hefty so cruising fully loaded uphill will still happen comfortable around 65mph.

Because the van is Air-cooled a full cooling system will be installed and the radiator will fit up in the nose behind the already provided grill.  In the end it will still look like an Air-cooled van which is exactly what I wanted.  A lot of people that do the conversion just cut a lower mounting grill like the later H20-cooled vans but I was able to fabricate a way to keep it looking it original.

While the engine conversion is one of the major events for Bruce the Westy I still have so many plans for this thing so for now enjoy some progress shots and prep shots of it all being loaded up for it's trailer ride to the shop that's doing the engine work. When Bruce gets back I'll update with things I'm actually doing myself.

[Willie_B]

Way cool.

[MiniDave]

Yep, I've seen a few of these done and they really change the capabilities of the Westy, but remember - it's still a VW van, with all that implies - if you hit something, it's major - and now that you'll be able to cruise uphill as fast as you can downhill you need to be extra careful.


We used to see these done with Porsche 911 motors and suspension/brakes, usually towing a 911 racecar, but now that Porsches of that vintage are gold plated, there probably won't be any more done like that.

Can't wait to see some vids of it running/driving!

[SoCalMiniFan]

- and now that you'll be able to cruise uphill as fast as you can downhill you need to be extra careful.

Exactly why I put brand Big disc brakes all the way around!  The conversion kind of snuck up on us and I was in a mad dash to complete the brakes before sending it out.  Brakes meant bigger wheels, bigger wheels meant a 2" lift, lift meant new shocks it had this domino effect of awesome!

Driving this thing is WAY different then the Mini that's for sure.  In all honesty I don't want to go that fast in Bruce The Westy and I want to take the scenic routes in him, he's not going to be a freeway flyer but as he sat he was dangerous. Original 2.0 Air-Cooled engine with a whopping 67hp and weighing in at almost 4,000lbs, unloaded.

I just want to go uphills without my hazards on high-fiving people with a flat tire on the side of I8(this has occurred).  That is dangerous.

[BruceK]

First off, I fully approve the name of this VW.  4.gif

Secondly, very cool project.   I can't wait to hear more about.

I've been thinking about vans lately.  No, not Mini Vans.  Or minivans.   But good old fashioned vans.  Fantasizing about converting one into an RV of some sort.   Just an idea at this point...

[gr8kornholio]

Bruce, you thinking Buggy Nights or more A-Team for your van?  My grandparents and my best friends parents had big conversion vans.  Those things were awesome to ride around in.  One even had a functioning TV.  And neither of them had seatbelts except for the front seats.  Good times.

[BruceK]

Bruce, you thinking Buggy Nights or more A-Team for your van?  My grandparents and my best friends parents had big conversion vans.  Those things were awesome to ride around in.  One even had a functioning TV.  And neither of them had seatbelts except for the front seats.  Good times.

Oh my not-too-well-formed thought is to get an old work van (cheap - but often all worn out) or a used custom van (sometimes with low miles - but most seem to look like Elvis decorated the interior), and gut it and built out a simple camping van.   Much like these: https://mpora.com/adventure/travel/23-awesome-camper-van-conversions-thatll-inspire-hit-road/

And there is the whole other world of stealth camping with vans - camouflaging your converted van so it looks like a typical work van to stay under the radar.  Some even have fake business graphics and ladder racks on the roof.  This is more of a guy thing - almost zero point zero chance this type of camping would past muster with my wife.   Here's an example of a stealth camper van made to look like a forklift repair truck. 

[MiniGene]

This is an awesome project.  Check these folks out:  http://www.drivenachodrive.com/

I've been following them for a few years.  They drove a Westy around the world and wrote a book about it.

Looking forward to seeing your updates.

[MiniDave]

I like the idea of buying a van and fitting it out for travel, but with so many already out there and done, seems to me you'd be money ahead to buy one of those rather than starting from scratch. There are tons of Chevy van/camper things for sale for usually pretty cheap, and parts are easy and cheap to find.

Where you gonna go first?

I'd like one with 4wheel drive, so I could explore the deserts or the forests in the Pac north west. Doesn't have to be one of those lifted enormous go anywhere in the world kind, just enough for the added security on some of the less traveled roads.

However, if I did something like this I know I'd be traveling alone, or at best with a fur kid.

[SoCalMiniFan]

I like the idea of buying a van and fitting it out for travel, but with so many already out there and done, seems to me you'd be money ahead to buy one of those rather than starting from scratch. There are tons of Chevy van/camper things for sale for usually pretty cheap, and parts are easy and cheap to find.

The wife was pretty set on the van being a VW and I was set on it being a Vanaru (Subaru converted Van).  These two things made purchasing one already done pretty far out of the budget box.  We got out '81 for a very fair price and it's in spectacular shape in the body department and its VERY nice on the interior department.  Mechanically the van ran just fine, albeit a bit SLOW!

A Subaru converted van starts at 20k. If you seek out a Subaru converted van to CA SMOG spec you're looking at 25k and most of them are pretty beat looking add on the fact you may or may not know anything about who did the conversion and if it was done well. 

My original goal was to keep costs down and do the work myself, BusLab out of SF area CA starts their conversions at $19k and that's to do the work on the van you provide! I said "I can do it way cheaper."

When I sent the van out for the conversion I was sitting at about $12k invested including the initial van purchase. The guy I'm using is 1/2 the cost of BusLab and does really great work, he also does custom Porsche Replica Speedsters all powered with Subaru WRX/STI engines! He cut me a very nice break because I provided him with the Engine, ECU, Wiring Harness, and I had some extra Subaru Cylinder Heads and Manifolds laying around that I sent with the van too.  Checked in with him this week and the Engine is out at the builders shop, transmission is at the shop, and he's busy prepping the van by adding the heating/cooling system, setting up power-steering, and obviously removing the old engine and prepping it to sell.

Moving and shaking numbers around I'll still come in under what I can purchase an already converted van. 

The 4x4 Syncro versions of these vans are going for over $30k.  A van friend just fetched $65K for his.  I have visions of doing a 5-Speed AWD conversion on my van one day!